Defining Global Warming
Before going any further, I need to define exactly what I mean by the term global warming in the context of this study. I use the term global warming to refer to both the humaninduced rise in average global surface temperatures observed over the past century and the current and ongoing consequences this rise temperatures has on physical and biological systems
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worldwide. This second part-- the effects of rising temperatures-- is what scientists generally refer to as climate change. Importantly, then, in this research I use the terms global warming and climate change synonymously which from a scientific standpoint is technically incorrect.3